Hodinkee
Introducing: Fly By Night With The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium
A watch for going Mach 2 with your hair on fire (but make it stealthy).
Results for IWC Pilot
2,352 articles · 17 videos found · page 5 of 79
Hodinkee
Hodinkee
A Week On The Wrist: The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Spitfire
The next generation of the Spitfire brings ample style, personality, and charm to IWC's pilot offering.
Hodinkee
A Week On The Wrist: The IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph Edition 'Tribute To 3705'
A cult classic from the '90s is back in black(er).
Revolution
IWC and Collective partner up for the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition C.03
The private watch group Collective Horology has teamed up with IWC to create the Pilot’s Chronograph C.03, a watch that the founders of Collective refer to as a love letter to IWC. The pared-back pilot certainly evokes the golden era of Blümlien’s IWC through fine details, but the calibre is much more modern and, surprisingly, on-show through a sapphire back.
Hodinkee
Hands-On: The IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic Spitfire
Thirty-nine millimeters of pure steel pilot's watch.
Hodinkee
Hands-On: Taking The 41mm IWC Pilot's Chronograph Out For A Meal
Just because it can fly, doesn't mean it has to.
Hodinkee
Introducing: Two IWC Pilot's Watches Straight Outta The Mojave
Military enthusiasts, report for duty.
Hodinkee
Introducing: The IWC Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Edition 'Le Petit Prince'
“No one is ever satisfied where he is.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
WatchAdvice
IWC Pilot Watch Automatic Top Gun Review
I have made a promise to myself for this review, absolutely no cheesy 80’s movie quotes for this review. The IWC Top Gun pilots watch is after all, not associated or affiliated with any Tom Cruise movie whatsoever. This watch is part of an ongoing collaboration with the Strike tactics instructor program of the US navy. A partnership that began back in 2007, in which IWC manufacture watches specially designed from robust materials. The use of alternative case materials is a focal point of all the Top Gun watches from IWC, with models being constructed from titanium, ceramic and a hybrid paring of the two; Ceratanium. The use of tougher metals comes from the watches needing to meet the specific requirements of elite jet fighter pilots, those ‘Top Gun’s’ if you will. Recently I got the chance to go hands on with the latest three hander in the Top Gun series, the automatic pilots watch in Ceramic. My initial impressions of the watch were overwhelmingly positive. At 41mm x 11.4mm, the ceramic cased timepiece really appealed to me visually. I have never really been a huge fan of traditional Flieger style watches, the dials always felt so cluttered and heavy. Of course I understand the need for the traditional type A and type B style Flieger watches. Flieger style pieces were born of necessity and practicality during the second World War. Pilots needed large dials and indices for precisely timing flights and bombing runs, the watches therefore bore oversized hands, huge...
Hodinkee
My Watch Story: Celebrating A Newborn With A New Watch, An Eberhard Found In Florence, A Long-Awaited IWC Pilot, And More
Five video stories from HODINKEE readers.
Quill & Pad
Worldtimer vs. GMT: Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph WT vs. IWC Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Spitfire
Do you need to know the time in various time zones? What is the real difference between a worldtimer and a GMT watch? How complicated are these watches to use? Chris Malburg answers these questions and more after spending some quality time with two enchanting multi-time zone watches.
Hodinkee
Introducing: The IWC Pilot's Watch Timezoner Chronograph Edition '80 Years Flight To New York'
A horological commemoration of a French flying boat's first transatlantic passage.
Fratello
The Quiet Sweet Spot: Why The IWC Mark XVI Spitfire Ref. IW325502 Deserves More Attention
Certain watches quietly sit in the sweet spot of the collector market. They’re not hyped, not aggressively marketed, and not yet pulled into the gravitational field of speculative pricing. The IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XVI Spitfire ref. IW325502 is one of them. Produced in the mid-2000s, this neo-vintage pilot’s watch captures something that feels increasingly […] Visit The Quiet Sweet Spot: Why The IWC Mark XVI Spitfire Ref. IW325502 Deserves More Attention to read the full article.
Time+Tide
IWC’s new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the brand’s first space watch
The IWC Pilot's Venturer Vertical Drive is the storied brand's first-ever watch designed, engineered, and certified for human spaceflight.The post IWC’s new Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive is the brand’s first space watch appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
IWC Debuts the Long Awaited Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert
IWC’s releases this year are proving something that I’ve always felt was true, but lacked hard evidence: if you’re patient, the watch you’ve always wanted will one day appear. Perseverance takes many forms, and there’s no doubt that one of them is telling your IWC sales rep that you’ll actually pass on the Mojave Big Pilot, Perpetual Calendar, and Pilot’s Chronograph, and wait for the simple three hander in a casual, everyday size. Today, IWC announced a watch many in the Worn & Wound office have been attempting to conjure since the very first Mojave watch appeared back in 2019, a limited edition Pilot’s Watch Chronograph measuring in at 44.5mm. The aforementioned perpetual calendar and Big Pilot in the Mojave colorway followed, as did another chronograph in a smaller, 41mm size. But this is the one many enthusiasts, I think, have been waiting for, and it follows a larger trend of predictable (and desirable) iteration within the larger IWC family. What we have here is relatively simple on its face: the Pilot’s Watch Automatic 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert takes the tan ceramic IWC has been using in the Top Gun line over the last six years and puts in the most straightforward IWC pilot watch concept of them all. While it’s not technically a Mark series watch (IWC draws a distinction between the Mark line and their more experimental, ceramic dominated Top Gun pilot’s watches) the form factor and principle here are both similar. The 41mm case measures a com...
Teddy Baldassarre
What Are The Least Expensive IWC Watches?
IWC Schaffhausen is the quintessential example of a watchmaker that set out to become famous for one thing but ended up being famous for something else. Founded in 1868 by American expat Florentine Ariosto Jones, the International Watch Company devoted itself chiefly to luxuriously decorated pocket watches in its early years but when the military needs of a European continent at war came calling in the 1940s, Jones’ firm shifted its production to focus on decidedly no-frills, robust, utilitarian wristwatches for use in the cockpits of planes. Fast forwarding to today, most watch enthusiasts still regard IWC first and foremost as a leader in the pilot’s watch genre. But that wasn’t always the case, and in fact, IWC’s 21st-Century collection is about as diverse as that of any watch brand out there. For a newbie to the brand, however, that diversity — and even the diversity within the vastly expanded Pilot’s collection itself — can prove daunting, especially when attempting to choose which IWC watches offer the price-to-value ratio that would motivate one to pull the trigger on a purchase. In this latest article in our recently inaugurated Price of Admission series, I will attempt to help you make sense of IWC’s modern collection from an entry-level pricing standpoint, homing in on the best models to consider as one’s “first” IWC watch. PILOT’S WATCHES: IWC Pilot's Watch Automatic 36 ($4,350) It’s appropriate to start our exploration with the Pilot...
Fratello
Four IWC Watches And Their Wearers Return Safely From Space
Four IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn” models in white ceramic with space-blue dials are back on Earth. Along with their wearers, they launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 05:23 EDT on September 10th, 2024. The four members of the crew and their watches safely splashed down off the coast of […] Visit Four IWC Watches And Their Wearers Return Safely From Space to read the full article.
SJX Watches
IWC Unveils All-Titanium Mark XX Patrouille Suisse
Continuing with its series of editions made for the Swiss Air Force’s aerobatic team, the IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Patrouille Suisse is a clean, no-frills watch based on IWC’s entry-level pilot’s watch. A limited edition of 250 pieces, the Mark XX Patrouille Suisse is the fifth edition dedicated to the aerobatics team. This has two notable features that set it apart from the regular production Mark XX. First, the case is entirely in matte titanium instead of stainless steel. Secondly, the dial is sunburst-brushed slate grey rather than black or blue. Initial thoughts As one of IWC’s bestsellers, the Mark XX is a modern take on the historical IWC pilot’s watch. It’s relatively affordable and an easily wearable 40 mm. The standard Mark XX sticks to the standard template, so it isn’t that interesting. The Patrouille Suisse edition, on the other hand, is different enough to be interesting, but not so much that it loses the recognisable styling. The lightweight, low-key titanium case is particularly fitting for a pilot’s watch, both in terms of visuals and feel. And the grey dial adds a bit of nuance to an otherwise monochromatic look, though it could have been better without the date. Priced at US$6,500, the Mark XX Patrouille Suisse doesn’t cost too much more than the standard model, which makes it a compelling alternative. Admittedly the cal. 32111 inside is one of IWC’s most economical movements, but it is acceptable for the price. Shades of grey Ent...
Worn & Wound
Interview: A Conversation with Benoit de Clerck, Zenith’s New CEO
A few years ago, I bought my first luxury watch on eBay, an Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300m ref. 2220.80.00. It was a watch I had first noticed on the wrist of Daniel Craig in Casino Royale over a decade earlier, and one which I had coveted. I spent way too much money on it, and accidentally (eBay defaulted to the wrong payment method) used my parents’ credit card to buy the watch. It was a boneheaded move, compounded by eBay’s then-nascent authentication program taking over two months to actually get the watch to me. But don’t worry, I did pay my parents back in relatively short order and eventually got the watch. And I got a fun story out of it that I am unlikely to soon forget. I would posit that many of us have similar stories about how we wound up making our first big watch purchase. Benoit de Clerck, who introduced himself to me as Ben, certainly does. “My first salary was a camera, a Nikon - you know, these old cameras and all that - but my second salary was an IWC Pilot’s Watch, 3706, and the story is, I did not have enough money to pay for it.” “So I paid it part on my credit card; part on cash; borrowed money from friends, brothers, sister, and friends; and post-dated checks,” he told me, “And the guy had never seen someone who wanted to do that for a watch, and of course, I wanted that watch now, obviously.” You might be amazed to know that Ben walked out of the boutique that day with his watch. “The owner of that store took a r...
Worn & Wound
IWC Brings a Fan Favorite Ceramic Tone to their 41mm Chronograph Platform
If you’re a fan of IWC pilot watches, you’ve no doubt participated in one of this cohort’s favorite activities, which is armchair quarterbacking the specifics of each release. We’ve gotten to a point where there are so many case sizes, complications, and case materials in the collection that the moment a new watch is announced, there’s a cry on the internet for that exact thing but tweaked, somehow, to more closely resemble another watch the brand makes. This is especially true with IWC’s ceramic cased pilot watches, which tend to be rather large and drive more than their share of “If only it was __mm” comments on Instagram. Earlier this year, in the midst of Ingy-fever, IWC quietly released a very nice 41mm chronograph in blue ceramic. It got some of us thinking: will more ceramic color options come to this Goldilocks sized case that everyone (myself very much included) seems to love? The answer, of course, is yes. This week, IWC revealed a watch that many collectors have been hoping for for quite some time, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top Gun Mojave Desert. The brown “Mojave” case is meant to look like desert sand, and has been a favorite when executed as a perpetual calendar and Big Pilot. It was also, first, a chronograph, which made its debut back in 2019 in the same 44.5mm case later occupied by the Tahoe and Woodland versions of the chrono. It’s certainly the brand’s most unique ceramic colorway, and I have a feeling the news of this...
Worn & Wound
IWC Introduces a New “Tahoe” Version of their Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar
IWC’s Top Gun “Lake Tahoe” edition of their ceramic cased chronograph has been an object of fascination for many since its release last year. While it lacks a certain practicality (it’s 44.5mm wide) and versatility (it’s, well, bright white) it’s undeniably striking, and would seem to be the perfect watch for a handful of very specific purposes, one of which is surely sipping on brightly colored cocktail, oceanside, in Miami. There’s nothing else quite like it on the market (besides the other colored, ceramic IWC chronographs), and it presents as an interesting contrast in design sensibilities to the “normal” IWC chronographs, the ones in steel, with an altogether more sober vibe. They’re the same, but also wildly different, and illustrate how IWC has one foot in contemporary sleekness and another in paying homage to their own history, visible on the same chronograph platform. Last week, the Tahoe got a sequel of sorts with a new Big Pilot perpetual calendar using the same materials and design notes as the chronograph. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Lake Tahoe had been seen on the wrist of IWC ambassador Lewis Hamilton recently, so the official news of its release to the public isn’t a huge shock, but as an admirer of the Tahoe chronograph it’s fun to see its expansion to another product line, and makes us wonder if we could see a Tahoe edition of the simplest IWC pilot watches. A Mark XX Tahoe? Take my money. That’s enough...
Worn & Wound
A Week In Watches Ep. 49: The Sea-Chron Returns & Rowing Blazers Hits the Seiko 5
This week in watches sees the return of the classic Sea-Chron diving chronograph from Zodiac. The watch has come back in multiple handsome colorways with full personality on display and case to match. See more details on the Sea-Chron in our intro here, and keep an eye out for a full review coming soon. Elsewhere, Seiko revealed yet another collaborative collection done with Rowing Blazers, this time in Seiko 5 watches with 4 colorways that will have you set for summer. More about the new Seiko x Rowing Blazers right here. That wasn’t all from Seiko this week, who also revealed a new member of their Sharp Edge collection within the Presage family. This watch opens the dial to reveal a view to the new 6R5J 3 day automatic movement within. More details on that Seiko right here. There’s more news from MessanaLAB and their new Massena HOUSE concept, as well as a new Miami Pink IWC Pilot Chronograph, all in the full episode below. This week’s episode is brought to you by the new Hydrotimer watch from Jack Mason. This distinctively handsome diver measures 40mm in diameter and features a ceramic bezel, a boxed sapphire crystal, and a quick adjust system built right into the clasp. Jack Mason regulates and assembles the movement for the Hydrotimer in the USA. Learn more about the Hydrotimer from Jack Mason right here. The post A Week In Watches Ep. 49: The Sea-Chron Returns & Rowing Blazers Hits the Seiko 5 appeared first on Worn & Wound.
Worn & Wound
IWC Returns to Miami with Bright New Titanium Pilot Chronograph 41
Last year marked the inaugural Formula 1 race in Miami at the newly constructed International Autodrome, the second F1 race in the United States of the season before adding a third in Las Vegas this year (see our recap of the race experience right here). To celebrate the occasion, Mercedes team sponsor, IWC, released a Petronas-AMG themed Pilots Chronograph 41, featuring bright Petronas green dial accents, and a titanium case (see our live look at that watch right here). As we approach round 5 of the 2023 Formula 1 season, once again in Miami, IWC has returned to the Petronas Pilots Chronograph 41 with a bright new strap option befitting of the venue, and matching the special livery seen on the Mercedes cars for the race. The IWC Pilot Chronograph hasn’t always hit the right notes for our taste, but when it received a sized down 41mm case back in 2021, it started to make a lot more sense. Throw in the surprisingly excellent Tribute to 3705 and the watch really hit its stride. When it received a titanium case last year in Miami, the watch overcame one of its biggest downsides: its heft. The lightweight case made a huge difference (similar to the Ceratanium Tribute model), and remains a feature we’d like to see added to more regular production references of the watch. As it stands now, if you want the titanium case, you had better like bright colors as this Petronas green dial is the only way to get it. Thankfully, the Petronas green works well here, and while it’s cer...
Time+Tide
IWC’s Pilot’s Watch line-up gets four new additions
For Watches & Wonders 2023, IWC have introduced three new references of IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41. Among the new trio are new cases in Oceana blue ceramic and 18k 5N gold. The Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar is also now available with a racing green dial. IWC releasing more variety of Pilot’s Watches should … ContinuedThe post IWC’s Pilot’s Watch line-up gets four new additions appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
VIDEO: These IWC and Top Gun pieces can be your wingmen anytime
IWC’s longstanding fascination with aviation is well established, with the releases from this year’s Watches and Wonders continuing this high-flying heritage. Of the five new additions to the Pilot’s collection, our focus today falls on the Top Gun co-branded pieces – the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 Top Gun and IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 Top … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: These IWC and Top Gun pieces can be your wingmen anytime appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Hodinkee
Introducing: This Weekend, Look Out For A New Team-Issued Watch At The Inaugural Miami Grand Prix
Will the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 Edition 'Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team' watch give drivers Hamilton and Russell a competitive edge?
SJX Watches
IWC Introduces the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph in Mint Green and Titanium
Facelifted in 2021 with a slimmed-down case that went from 43 mm to 41 mm, the IWC Pilot’s chronograph is a longstanding bestseller that’s now more wearable. The watchmaker has now created an online-only edition of the watch for its F1 partner, the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 “Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team Edition”. Conceived to celebrate the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the new chronograph is the first official team watch, meaning it will be worn by all team members ranging from mechanics to strategists. It’s naturally dressed in the team’s signature colour, the green of its title sponsor, Petronas. Initial thoughts The overall design for the new chronograph appears almost identical similar to the standard model, except for the colour. But a few additions reveal themselves up close, including the sandblasted titanium case, which set it apart from IWC’s current offerings. The case material is notable – no other Pilot’s chronograph has a sandblasted titanium case – and sensible choice for a “instrument” watch. It makes the F1 team edition lighter than its counterparts in the Pilot’s Watch line, which the matte, grained surface suits the functional spirit of the watch. And the metal also makes sense given the Formula One context since titanium is widely used in automotive engineering due to its corrosion resistance and high strength-to-density ratio. But it is the mint green that makes the watch truly unique. The green livery will be ap...
Deployant
New: Summary of novelties for IWC 2022 Pilot’s Watches
Summary of IWC Pilot's Watches new releases for Watches & Wonders 2022.- introducing the new Chronograph and Big Pilot Watches.
Time+Tide
VIDEO: IWC introduces two new stealth Top Gun Ceratanium Pilot’s watches
Today we are highway-ing into the danger zone, with two new complicated IWC Top Gun Ceratanium pilot’s watches that will take your breath away. OK, enough Top Gun puns. Focus Zach. IWC has brought forth two new stealth Ceratanium references: the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Ceratanium and the IWC Pilot’s Watch Timezoner Top Gun … ContinuedThe post VIDEO: IWC introduces two new stealth Top Gun Ceratanium Pilot’s watches appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
IWC Introduces the Pilot’s Watch Laureus Edition 2021 in Blue Ceramic
Long an annual tradition for IWC – now in its 15th consecutive year in fact – the “Laureus Sport for Good” edition is back once again in its usual blue livery that echoes the emblem of the eponymous charity with the IWC Pilot’s Watch Automatic Edition ‘Laureus Sport for Good’. Each annual Laureus edition sees IWC facelift one of its watches, from the classical Portofino to the sporty Pilot’s Watch, typically in a simple fashion with the addition of a blue dial – good enough but not quite great. This year the brand is doing something a bit more special with its entry-level aviator’s watch, which gets a blue ceramic case in a first for the brand. Initial thoughts As is typical of the IWC Pilot’s Watch, the new Laureus edition is simple, coherent and appealing. But it offers a bit more with the tone-on-tone case and dial, making it slightly more special than the standard Pilot’s Watches, or even past Laureus editions. Though IWC used a similar formula for the Laureus edition of two years ago – that had a polished, black ceramic case instead – the latest edition is tangibly better. For one, a blue ceramic case is rare, having been utilised by only a handful of watchmakers, and it also looks pretty cool. At the same time, the watch has been upgraded in technical terms. It houses the new, five-day cal. 32111, which is derived from the cal. 32115 first seen in the ultra-shock resistance Big Pilot XPL. Both are in turn modified versions of the cal. 32...